What Are the Risks for — and Symptoms of — Hypothyroidism?

Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland, but it packs a punch in terms of the many symptoms it can cause when it isn’t working properly. The thyroid gland produces essential hormones that help oxygen and energy reach every cell, tissue, gland, and organ in your body. When your thyroid is underactive (or when you’ve had your gland surgically removed or radioactively disabled), you don’t have enough of this crucial thyroid hormone — a condition known as hypothyroidism.

Risk factors for hypothyroidism

There are a number of factors that put you at greater risk of hypothyroidism. These include:

Symptoms of hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism symptoms often result in a slowdown of key bodily functions. Everything from thinking, heart rate, metabolism, hair growth, and elimination can be affected, as evident by the following list.

Fatigue

Fatigue and exhaustion, unrelieved by sleep

Sleep

Unrefreshing sleep

Snoring

Sleep apnea

Weight

Weight gain, despite no change to diet or exercise

An inability to lose weight, even after cutting calories and increasing exercise

An increase in your blood sugar or Hemoglobin A1C (HA1C) levels

A lower basal metabolism (you need fewer calories than someone else at the same body weight)

Abdominal area and stomach

Ascites (abdominal fluid accumulation)

Excess belly fat

Mood and cognition

Depression, especially when it does not respond to antidepressant drugs

Anxiety

Mood changes

Brain fog, or difficulty remembering, focusing, or concentrating

Neck and thyroid area

A swollen or full feeling in your neck

A visible enlargement of your neck

A visible lump in your neck

A lump in your neck that you can’t see but can feel

Discomfort with things around your neck, such as scarves, ties, or turtlenecks

Note that you don’t need to have all of the listed symptoms, or even many of them. Experiencing just a few of these symptoms may point to undiagnosed hypothyroidism, or may indicate that your hypothyroidism warrants better and more effective treatment.

Mary Shomon is a patient advocate and New York Times bestselling author who empowers readers with information on thyroid and autoimmune disease, diabetes, weight loss and hormonal health from an integrative perspective. Mary has been a leading force advocating for more effective, patient-centered hormonal healthcare. Mary also co-stars in PBS’ Healthy Hormones TV series.